Comedian Leslie Jones has earned a spot as a season regular on Saturday Night Live (or what they call a featured player). Jones was one of the black writers that SNL hired following heavy criticism over their lack of diversity. The gig started off rocky for her, though, after controversy over her Weekend Updatebit about slavery.

Actress-comedian Jones took part in the talent search for a new SNL cast member last fall. She was one of 12 finalists invited to audition on the SNL stage and was in serious contention for the spot that ultimately went to Sasheer Zamata. But Lorne Michaels and his team liked Jones too and brought her in as a writer.

Like Jones, new Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che also started as a writer on SNL, a long-standing tradition on the show. Jones, who will continue to write on SNL, joins Pete Davidson as the second new featured player this fall.